“You want to get breakfast on the way to the store?”he asked.
The spell broke.
“Oh.Uh, yeah,” I said quickly.“That sounds good.”
He rolled out of bed and stretched, then headed toward the doorway without looking back.
I stared up at the ceiling and exhaled slowly.
Regret tugged at me for not kissing him.
But hope followed close behind.
There would be another chance.
I could feel it.
Chapter Twelve
Cole
If you’d asked me a week ago what my ideal morning looked like, I would’ve said coffee, quiet, and maybe some scrambled eggs.I definitely wouldn’t have said sharing a vinyl booth at the diner with Star while she tried to convince me that green chile made everything better.
Yet there we were.
The Sunrise Diner smelled like grease and old coffee and something vaguely sweet, like pancakes that had lived there so long they’d become part of the furniture.Star sat across from me, elbows on the table, chin propped in her hands, watching me like she was waiting for a verdict.
“You didn’t even take a full bite,” she accused.
“I did,” I said, chewing deliberately.“I’m just… processing.”
She snorted.“You mean you’re dramatic.You club guys are hard to please with food since you had Carnie cooking for you all your lives.”
“I mean,” I said, swallowing, “this is good.It’s just different from what I’m used to.”
She grinned, bright and unapologetic.“That’s because you’re spoiled.”
“Don’t be jealous because I’ve got an aunt who makes kick-ass food,” I teased.
She laughed and nodded.“You are completely correct.I’m so jealous of you getting to eat Carnie’s cooking.I grew up with Mac, who can cook, but she was pretty busy with work.There were many nights of fast food or nuggets.”She pointed at me.“Not burned, though.”
“That’s because Mac knew the difference between bake and broil,” I pointed out.
“Yes,” she laughed.“That makes all the difference in the world.”
We finished breakfast with coffee refills neither of us needed and a shared plate of hash browns that Star drowned in ketchup while I pretended not to judge her.By the time we paid and stepped outside, the morning was warm.
“Can I drive?”Star asked.“It is my car.”
“Negative,” I said as I pulled her keys out of my pocket.I had wanted to take the bike just to have Star pressed up against me, but I knew she wasn’t up for that yet.Besides, grocery shopping on the bike was not ideal with the list that Mac had left for us.“I am your protector and chauffeur.”
She pouted out her bottom lip.“But I’m feeling better today.”She stretched out her arms.“I don’t even feel like I need a nap yet,” she laughed.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the car.“Let’s hope that feeling lasts a little bit longer.Your mom left us one hell of a list.”
I drove the few blocks to the grocery store.As soon as we walked in, Star grabbed a cart and took off down the aisle like she knew exactly where she was going.
I followed behind her, holding the list her mom had stuck on the fridge that morning.It was pretty specific, but there were a few things I knew we were going to struggle with.
